Black

Biodata

Background / History

Black built his standing among Kodiak’s hunters through decades of hunting in Alaska. His reputation rests on his hunting records and collection of dangerous-game trophies, rather than wealth or social connections. Other hunters regard him as a living legend, and even crowded taverns clear a path for him 151 203.

A former sniper, Black also has law-enforcement authority and refers to his own search-and-rescue team. He works as an examiner for prospective hunters and continues taking professional guiding assignments 114 116 128 229.

Before becoming Su Wei’s mentor, Black repeatedly rejected paid offers for his sole apprenticeship slot, including an offer of $200,000. Su Wei later discovers that Black also won a season of Alone, during which he hunted a musk ox in the hundred-day challenge. Footage shows him beside the animal with a homemade spear and hunting knife rather than modern firearms 122 203 273.

Appearance

Black is tall and imposing, with a weather-beaten face and cold, stern eyes. His usual clothing is practical and heavily worn, with little conspicuous equipment 108 150.

• Face: Deep lines running from his nose to his mouth, gray-white eyebrows, and a faint scar across his brow bone 108 123 273.
• Eyes: Described as gray, icy gray, and gray-blue 177 194 203.
• Hands: Large, callused, and scarred 127 171.
• Typical clothing: An old dark-gray Arc’teryx hard-shell jacket and badly worn military boots 108.
• Voice: Low, hoarse, and deep, usually delivering short commands without pleasantries 121 167.

Personality

Black is exacting, blunt, and difficult to impress. His nickname, “Old Devil,” reflects both his intimidating manner and his demanding examinations. He follows the hunter’s code strictly: poor shooting is not merely a failed test to him, but needless suffering inflicted on an animal. He also insists that group hunts reward everyone’s contribution, including those who only keep watch 110 122 210.

His cold manner conceals considerable concern for his apprentice. When Su Wei tries to pursue an armed poacher, Black’s anger comes from the danger Su Wei has exposed himself to. He refuses to take a share of Su Wei’s prospective capture reward, publicly ensures that Su Wei receives credit for his own kill, and awkwardly celebrates with him when compensation clears his debts 123 127 132 133 206.

Black is widely considered reclusive and unfriendly, but he attends Su Wei’s gatherings and develops an appreciation for his cooking. His gentleness is especially apparent around Bella and her newborn puppies, whom he handles with unusual patience 135 167 175 179 358.

Abilities & Skills

Hunting and Tracking

Black is a level-seven professional hunter with extensive knowledge of Kodiak’s terrain and dangerous game 112 129.

• Tests candidates on identifying an animal’s species, condition, and passage time from partly obscured tracks 111.
• Scouts bear territory with his hounds and uses maps, weather, and feeding behavior to plan hunts 179 188.
• Recognizes the danger posed by experienced armed offenders and chooses coordinated containment over a reckless pursuit 129.

Firearms and Tactical Fieldcraft

Black combines his former sniper experience with practical close-range hunting and enforcement skills 128 196.

• Uses terrain and vehicles as cover, checks surrounding heat signatures, and teaches safe movement under possible sniper observation 127 128 138.
• Moves silently through snowy woodland and reacts immediately to unexpected sounds by taking cover 138.
• Kills a charging moose with a point-blank shotgun blast after other hunters’ shots fail to stop it 196.
• Restrains Garrett immediately after Su Wei shoots him, maintaining caution even after the suspect falls 140.

Hound Handling

Black keeps a pack of large Alaskan mixed-breed hunting dogs bred for dangerous-game work. They respond immediately to his commands and can perform tasks beyond simply following a scent 134 289.

• Caesar: His lead dog and best hound, used to test Su Wei’s ability to approach an alert animal without detection 287 289.
• Bella: A female praised for having the keenest nose in her litter and described as a master tracker 135.
• Explains that his hounds’ bloodlines combine Eskimo-dog endurance, pit-bull jaw strength, and wolfhound ferocity 359.

Instruction and Assessment

Black trains for adverse conditions rather than relying on range scores or theoretical knowledge 188 289.

• Runs repeated unloaded-handgun drills to teach an instinctive emergency draw against a charging bear 188.
• Tests shooting in strong winds, extreme cold, and immediately after strenuous movement 291 292 293.
• Includes carcass recovery and processing in his assessments, requiring Su Wei to drag a simulated bear and mark skinning cuts while exhausted 293 294.
• His survival-shooting instruction grants Su Wei Hunting Module experience and a temporary draw-speed benefit; these are effects received by Su Wei, not powers attributed to Black 188.

Woodworking and Campcraft

• Identifies a suitable dry standing spruce and teaches Su Wei to split it efficiently using his waist, the axe’s weight, and gravity 172.
• His instruction is recognized by Su Wei’s system as guidance from a master craftsman 172.
• Quickly lights Su Wei’s fireplace upon arriving at the cabin 171.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• M70 rifle — Maintained by Black and carried by Su Wei during their poacher operation 129 135.
• Double-barreled hunting gun / shotgun — Carried during the bear hunt; Black uses a shotgun to stop the charging moose 191 196.
• .30-06 rifle and rangefinder — Brought out for the practical shooting examination 109.
• Tracked off-road vehicle — Used for travel through deep snow, tactical withdrawal, and transport during enforcement work 124 127 129.
• Black Ford Raptor pickup — Driven to the Fish and Game Department 150.
• Hand-drawn maps — Used to explain hunting terrain and review routes before departure 188 190.
• Snow-camouflage smock and plastic restraints — Used during the operation against Garrett 138 140.
• Worn military watch and silver whiskey flask — Recurring personal items 121 188.

Relationships

• Su Wei — His sole official apprentice. Black chooses him for his demonstrated talent, commits his exclusive mentorship slot to him, and becomes a stern, fatherlike presence in his life 116 122 123 175.
• Aruk Kash — The son of an old acquaintance. Aruk is deeply intimidated by him, addresses him as “Uncle Black,” and joins his bear-hunting team 150 179 190.
• Old Kash — An old friend and fellow veteran hunter. They provide backup during Su Wei’s field test, though Black challenges Old Kash’s proposed division of the proceeds to preserve fair hunting rules 179 210 211.
• Sarah — Handles the examinations’ paperwork and registers Black as Su Wei’s linked mentor. She is astonished that he offers his only apprenticeship slot to a newcomer 114 122 123.
• Silas — A level-six professional hunter and tavern operator whom Black treats with understated respect. Black also invites him to the group’s celebration 209 212 214.
• Caesar and Bella — Trusted hunting dogs. Caesar leads the pack, while Bella’s litter allows Black to pass working hounds on to his apprentice 135 287 360.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Hunter Qualification Examination

• Black is assigned to assess Su Wei and Aruk after their written examinations. Aruk warns that he permits only two shots and demands precise tracking and clean prey processing 102.
• He awards Su Wei a perfect shooting score after the second bullet passes through the first bullet’s hole. Su Wei’s tracking answer then surprises him despite his own professional experience 111 112.
• Dennis, Aruk, and Su Wei pass the practical examination; Eric fails with an average score of 51 114.

Apprenticeship and Garrett’s Capture

• Recognizing Su Wei’s tracking talent, Black recruits him to help locate a poacher and formally accepts him as his apprentice. Sarah updates Su Wei’s license to identify Black Anderson as his linked level-seven mentor 116 123.
• Black prevents Su Wei from chasing the armed suspect, withdraws into cover, and coordinates with Kodiak Dispatch to block escape routes 126 127 129.
• During the later confrontation, Black guides their concealed approach and restrains Garrett after Su Wei brings him down 138 140.
• Afterward, he explains Su Wei’s right to the dead Roosevelt elk’s antlers, arranges their transport, and eventually delivers the trophy and Su Wei’s meat share 143 145 171.

The King of the Island Hunt

• Black organizes a four-person bear hunt with Su Wei, Aruk, and Old Kash, making it a field test for his apprentice 179.
• He scouts with his dogs and drills Su Wei in emergency handgun use before departure 188.
• During the encounter, Black kills the charging moose while Su Wei faces the wounded brown bear. He acknowledges Su Wei after the bear falls 196 197.
• At the tavern, he corrects hunters who assume he made the kill and establishes Su Wei’s claim to the trophy. He then insists on a division of the proceeds that respects both teamwork and Su Wei’s decisive contribution 206 208 210 211.

Support Beyond Hunting

• Black provides Su Wei with a taxidermist’s contact and information about rebuilding his cabin through Polar Strong Shield 215 220.
• He alerts Su Wei that Old Sam’s adjoining eighty acres are for sale and arranges a negotiation meeting, though a guiding assignment prevents him from attending 220 229.

Final Assessment Before a Solo Hunt

• Concerned that Su Wei is becoming overconfident, Black requires another assessment before allowing him to pursue a late-season brown bear alone 283.
• The trials include approaching Caesar undetected, shooting in a blizzard, firing after running through woodland, dragging eight wet-sand bags, and marking bear-processing cuts under a time limit 289 291 292 293 294.
• Su Wei passes the stealth test by reaching forty-two meters from Caesar without being located; Black continues testing rather than treating that success as sufficient preparation 291.

Bella’s Litter

• Black calls Su Wei when Bella delivers five puppies: three males and two females 357 358.
• Su Wei selects a composed black male and a crafty yellow-and-white female, later named Kyle and Freya 360 361.
• Black approves when Su Wei leaves them in his care for forty days rather than attempting demanding newborn feeding while already overworked 360.

Notable Quotes

“If my apprentice earns money, it's because he has the skill.” 123

“Never turn your back on a stranger, and never expose yourself to anyone's gun when you haven't made sure it's safe.” 127

“A group hunt is a group hunt. No matter who fired the shot, even someone who only kept watch is entitled to a share.” 210